Workers at the first Apple Store to unionize have also authorized the first strike against the tech giant's retail operations.
Employees at the Apple Store in Towson, Maryland, voted late Saturday to authorize a strike, as per a statement from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers' Coalition of Organized Retail Employees, representing the workers. No specific date has been set for the strike. The decision followed what the union described as "over a year of negotiations with Apple management that yielded unsatisfactory outcomes."
According to the statement, the workers are seeking changes in what they perceive as "unpredictable" scheduling practices and wages that are in line with the local cost of living.
"We deeply value our team members and we're proud to provide them with industry-leading compensation and exceptional benefits," Apple said in a statement provided by a spokesperson. "As always, we will engage with the union representing our team in Towson respectfully and in good faith."
Employees at the store in the Baltimore suburbs voted by a nearly 2-to-1 margin to unionize in June 2022, joining a growing trend across U.S. retail, service, and tech industries to organize for greater workplace protections.